Insti anecdotes

Insti t-shirts - loudmouths

1) 'We will be what we will to be - IIT Delhi' (Alas, the only will that exists is to huddle together for the latest bollywood flick).
2) 'STAND OUT - IIT Delhi' (Nice message from Grade A companies, keeping in mind the placement scene this year).
3) 'I am what you dream to be - IIT Delhi' (Now that we have given up on ourselves, we will play smart and assume that the others haven't found out yet).

Insti rules

1) Gender sensitization committees will have samosa-chai as Hostel funds are 'officially' wasted on Socials (for the uninitiated, this event involves 'interaction' between the opposite sexes. Insti doesn't mind if this requires the fairer sex to be transported all the way from IP, Miranda, Gargi and the like; to as much as attempt to satiate the desperate souls at Hauz Khas and Kathwaria Sarai)

2) The sole natural water source on campus shall not be touched, nevermind if dengue, malaria, etc call the shots. And even then, the student is sick only if he has been to Sick Bay (that most become sick after visiting Sick Bay cannot be contested!).

Insti Chemistry

Overheard this morning as I went past a PhD student walking to his lab with his eyes burning an NMR spectrum,'Kaisi paheli hai ye, kaisi paheli...'

Road trip

The things we make of what we have! An auto designed to fit three is remodelled to fit eight - I travel in one of these for my weekend trips back home and its awesome fun. Observing the expertise with which the driver catches his Savaari could make an enlightening case study in sales. Its equally hilarious to watch the reactions of first timers, used to the luxury of putting their whole body in an auto (here you should thank yourself if u can manage anything more than half a butt inside it). 'Bhaiyya, jagah kahaan hai?' has become so common that the driver doesn't even bother to reply.

Almost 600 people depend on these share-autos for their roti-kapda-makaan, ferrying thousands of the burgeoning middle class who have shifted out of Delhi into the expanse of trans-Yamuna and Indirapuram - the residential brother of Gurgaon. The porosity of the Delhi-U.P. border also means that traffic rules change practically every month. The poor auto-wallahs have to bear the brunt, with vehicles being hauled off the road every other day. Cell phones prove to be a big boon in such situations and one can occasionally find detours being taken when news comes of cops being on the job a few 100 metres ahead.

Similar stories can be seen unfolding on the roads of Gurgaon, Noida and the wonderful walkway from Mall Road to St. Stephen's and beyond. These autos may make for ugly road traffic and may be responsible for the 8 o'clock jam on the highway, but they are the lifelines for thousands. Like many other things Indian, the autos of NCR continue at their improvising best - connecting people and places.

Dusting the cobwebs

I see them and am sure you don't miss them either. They are everywhere - on the address bar, the settings link, on this page. They have been bugging me for quite some time and I guess I had just started to gasp for breath. Its been quite some time since I visited the temple with my aunt, lots of incidents, accidents, memories and memoirs later, I stand on the crossroads of an interesting turn - both professinally and personally, curious to find out what's next, yet completely oblivious of what to expect.

Here's hoping that this new beginning will last longer.

Divine bliss

I had a different morning today and I want to share the experience with you. My Chitti (tamil for maternal aunt) was shifting base from the chaos of Delhi to the serenity of the Deccan countryside and felt that a farewell dinner was appropriate to bid goodbye to friends and family. Staying over at her place after the feast, we decided to visit the nearby Lord Krishna temple the next morning to attend the daily bath given to the deity (these deities are lucky, aren't they? People flocking to see you getting clean every morning!). Having overcome the temptation of a longish sleep, we set out in the wee hours of the morning. A brisk walk reached us to the temple that was getting bathed in the slight drizzle that had started.

My chitti tells me that the temple opens to a small group of loyal followers every morning, who wait patiently in prayer and reverance for the main door of the sanctum sacntorum to be opened. People then assemble on both sides of a steel frame that leads to the main shrine where the deity resides, resplendant in the 'Vastram' (dress) and 'Kavacham' (ornaments) of the previous day.

And that's how things unfolded. Before long we were witnessing the meticulous morning bath. First, a thick lyer of sandal applied on the previous day was peeled off. Then came a bucket of water. As the droplets clinging to the stone idol caught the light of the hanging lamp and twinkled, a dollop of white butter came along. This was followed by coconut water, a handful of turmeric, another glass of coconut water and, finally, 3-4 glasses of milk. Throughout this rigourous procedure, performed every single morning of the year, chants of 'Narayana Narayana' (one of the plethora of names of Lord Vishnu) resonated in the Sanctorum.

Strings of devotional songs wafted in as the devotees began their 'Pradarshanam' (which involves going around a deity a specific number of times, the number varying with belief, sub-class and sub-sub-class). The fragrance of jasmine incense diffused into the moisture from the just-stopped drizzle created what looked like the heaven that one used to find in old Bollywood movies. Applying 'Vibhuti' (sacred ash) on the forehead (wither a dot or a horizontal/vertical rod, again a function of aforementioned delicate differences!) and praying fervently before each idol, wishful of good things in the future or asking for forgiveness, the devotees make their way out. All this was interspersed by loud (but never jarring) smashes of coconuts in a specially constructed inclined stone vessel, the coconuts symbolic to obstacles in life (this might also have started as a stress-buster. A much better alternative to the senseless destruction of television sets and glass items that I read about pretty often).

Outside the inner sanctorum, devotees walked in peacefully as the temple staff went about its daily chores in full devotion. A small boy was busy solving algebra problems sitting in the mandap, alongside a group of women chanting hymns.

Spending peaceful time in a Hindu religious place without being hassled for donations and the like was refreshing, especially after some unforgettable experiences in Vrindavan and Mathura (where every corner is claimed as the Lord's janmasthan!). All in all, a wonderful experience.

Morning hues

I woke up yesterday morning and the stillness struck me like never before. The rain-less week was coming to an end and I was hoping for some respite from the hot and humid Delhi weather. Add to that a creaking fan that threatened to collapse any moment and made sound sleep an achievement in itself in my hostel wing, things were not all that rosy. Coming back, not a soul to be seen (six in the morning is when many have finished their third movie of the night!), not a leaf moved, no squirrels running in frenetic play, no birds twittering, absolutely nothing. It was probably the dullest morning I had woken up to for a long time. As I reached out to the tap, it announced compliance with the prevailing boredom. Some pipeline must have burst, I thought, as I made my way to the bathroom below. Same story there as well, ditto in the first and ground floors - no water in the entire hostel. As I clambered up the stairs, counselling whether I should perform my ablutions in another hostel, I heard the guard shout after me, 'Sir! Tanker aa gayaa hai. Paani le lo.' And that's how I got the first bucket of Delhi Jal Board water of my life. Sounds funny? Well, in those circumstances, it was heavenly.

As I made my way back to my room, feeling rejuvenated, I paused on the corridor in front of my room, and it struck me again. How could it be? This was like putting me into a painting. I gasped for breath, but the air that I drew in was warm, and I felt even more suffocated. Something had to give in, this couldn't go on for long. There was a whole day ahead and I didn't want to start it this way. And then, it rained...

I heard the first few drops and as the clouds congregated, something changed, rather, everything changed. Within minutes, puddles of water formed on the terrace, rousing birds, animals and some of the cream around me from their slumber. It was a celebration that I feasted on, enjoying every bit of the fun. It lasted for barely thirty minutes, but set the tone for the day. I knew things would be good. As the clouds gave way and the sun shone brightly, I couldn't think of a brighter morning. Interesting what a few drops of water can do!

Chemical issues

Its been four weeks since I stepped into the pungent environs that would be my third home for the next twelve months ( as thrashed out strictly on day one: six days a week, 9 to 6, even if I have no work and yes, no holidays come what may...). I guess its time I put down my thoughts about the days I have spent in my laboratory. Apart from busying myself with a few chemical reactions and some reading, I have spent some time thinking about how real-life science is full of ironies. Here, I attempt to give shape to one of them, without any offence to anyone.

Science, as is claimed by its champions, is only for the good of life. But in their journey to the altar of truth, we chemists don't mind pumping huge amounts of noxious, deadly chemicals outside our labs (a nearby drain, an open pit or best - the lab next door!). And even if some do, they brush it aside as another of those trivial matters that obstruct one's path to scientific glory. Emptying hexane and acetone is, well,just part of the rigmarole that occurs round the clock in laboratories around the world. And benzene... aah! we love washing our hands with it while setting off on our chemical odysseys. No wincing muscles, no raised eyebrows, no concern, as the concentration of hydrocarbons rises to alarming levels in the air and water around us.

Water - more critical to the origin and propagation of life than any other natural resource, freely flows in and out of our taps. flushing out chemicals dumped into the sink. Another senseless practise that endangers the lives of millions (including the people working in the lab themselves!). Why can't we keep separate bottles for the common solvents used and thrown, and then extract them by simple physical methods known to us for decades? This is a potentially profitable job,on environmental and financial fronts , and should be explored. Imagine making money out of discarded chemicals! Chemical waste treatment is either ignored or left to the city municipalities, who generally have no technical expertise in this area. As a result, chemicals are accumulating in air, water and on land, ready to strike at all forms of life on earth. If things carry on the way they have till now, deaths due to excessive concentrations of chemicals inside our bodies will be commonplace.

Research in chemistry will never stop, and from what I have seen and experienced, disposal of chemicals can, at best, be reduced and monitored. This leaves us with isolation, treatment and extraction of chemicals from waste products as promising areas to address the issue of chemical imbalance in our environment and bring the levels of chemicals in nature to acceptable levels. As chemists and responsible humans, let us act effectively to this end.

What's your problem?

(In conversation with a lab mate who has just joined, discussing each other's projects)

Me: So what do you work on?

Labmate: I work on ... blah blah blah.

Me: Hey, that's cool!

Labmate: And what's your problem?

Good ol' DTC

I am just back in my lab after an hour of getting jostled around in what is the largest environment-friendly bus service in the world. Having grown up with the city, it feels really good to write that. Only if one has experienced the rude congestion of a private bus can he /she relate to the luxury in a DTC. No, the crowd is very much there, sometimes close to 150 people crushed into each other, stomping on each other's feet, tugging at whatever support they can find, reading the body language of the person sitting on the closest seat - prepared to jump on it as soon as it is vacated. Its only in the DTC that you will be readily offered a window seat, and one is tempted to remark 'Aah! Dilwaalon ki Dilli!', but let me assure you, there's absolutely no affection in that act. Twenty years since I came here, I still cant figure out why that happens.

Although the DTC does test your patience sometimes with its absurdly slow speeds and the now-pretty-common rude drivers, more often that not, its worth the wait. For one, it is usually on time, people are slightly better-mannered inside it (another of those inexplicable things!), it doesn't wait till eternity at every bus stop and you are assured to read your destination smoothly. It also gives you that old-world feeling - this is tough to describe and has to be experienced.

My most memorable experiences of travelling in the DTCs have happened in the U-specials during College days. From carefully slipping into it without getting noticed by the seniors during ragging in first year to applauding the lone guitarist strumming away in the mornings during winter - travelling in the Special is just that - special.

That the organisation has been running on huge losses for the last God-knows-how-many years is a pity. I strongly believe that the charges for bus passes, especially for students, should be doubled to start with.

The latest addition to it fleet is the High capacity bus. After a controversial start, it is now running smoothly in South and Central Delhi, with extensions towards East. The buses look good, some are air-conditioned, normal fare is charged and the journey is really comfortable.

All in all, one public service that Delhiites should be proud of. Hats off!

On modern ACs and their salesmen!

Overheard in an electronics showroom:

Customer: So you tell me that this air-conditioner is the latest and the best. Does it give out Chlorofluorocarbons?

Salesman: Madam, yeh sab tarah ke carbon deta hai, isme sab kuchch inbuilt hai, fully automatic hai, aap ko kuchch karne ki zaroorat nahin hai....

God bless the salesman!

A survival machine's reflections

I write this after reading a chapter of Richard Dawkins' bestseller titled 'The Selfish Gene'. The first two chapters are breathtaking and I guess more posts will follow.

Dawkins starts the second chapter of his book by referring to the hitherto unsolved mystery of the origin of life. He cleverly hooks on to results of experiments that point out the presence of four compounds in the early universe - water, carbon dioxide, ammonia and methane. How these came about is altogether another mystery. Amino acids, purines and pyrimidines have been found as the predominant products of subjecting a mixture of the above-mentioned compounds to electric spark. This gives us some idea of how complex molecules could have evolved.

Dawkins speaks about stable molecules and defines three parameters of stability - longevity, fecundity and accuracy of replication. Oh! Before this this he also gives birth to the idea of replicator molecules - smart molecules seemingly created by a stroke of luck that can multiply. Then he describes how these replicators (could be of more than on kind due to errors in replication) compete for their building blocks. In this struggle for survival, they discover means of attack and defence. Attack - by cleaving the bonds between constituent building blocks of a different (rival?) replicator; and defence - by developing a protective coat around itself - the most primitive survival machine. With time, replicators developed better methods of attack, survival machines became complex and life evolved.

Genes are the modern day replicators, you and me and all forms of life on earth are mere survival machines programmed to behave according to the wishes of our double hellical masters!

Remarks: Interesting thought! It never struck me that we living beings were utterly powerless.. but who is this 'we'? If the replicator inside you and me is our supreme ruler and dictates every action of ours, are we any different from it?